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Letter to the Brethren: July 24, 2025

Letter to the Brethren: July 24, 2025

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Greetings from Grover Beach, California.

Brazil

I have returned from my short, but somewhat grueling, trip to Brazil.

It was somewhat grueling because counting times in airports, planes, and vehicles, I traveled about 50 hours in 3 1/2 days and only spent one night in a hotel bed. After thinking about it being a little grueling, I remembered that the airport code for Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I was Tuesday, was GRU–the first three letters of grueling (though the GRU airport was not more grueling than the others I was in this trip (like Los Angeles, California and Lima, Peru).

That said, I was able to meet with, provide additional counseling with, and baptized Adao de Amorim. He was a theology teacher and a former Protestant minister.

Adao de Amorim and Bob Thiel

Those with him sometimes watch our sermons in the Spanish language, even though they speak Portuguese. Here is a photo he sent me earlier this year:

Here is a photo of him in one of the groups in Brazil:

We have designated him as our host for northern Brazil. He believes we will have serious growth in northern Brazil.

We are to go to all the lands we can to be a witness (Matthew 24:14) and to baptize (Matthew 28:19-20).

Burundi

Our leader in Rwanda, Moise Nshimiyimana sent the following photo and report:

Dear Pastor and Overseer Dr Bob ,

Greetings from Rwanda .

Dear Pastor I appreciate to inform you that the work of God in Burundi continue to growth because there is a big group from SDA in 2000 years ago and for 25 called Eglise de Dieu et de Vocation du 7eme jour du Burundi but now  they want to join CCOG . After long time to conversation through social media with their leader called Augustin Mbonimpa and send to him the book called The gospel of the kingdom of God in our language and others  bout CCOG beliefs , today they confirmed to join CCOG and they wish if possible can you visit them please . And I connected them with brother Norbert and they prepare to meet with him . Attacked there is a photo of that group of Burundi .

Dear Pastor thank you so much for books and booklets through PO.Box .

Sincerely ,

Moïse.

Despite severe governmental restrictions in Rwanda and Burundi, we have been having major growth in those nations.

While some day I might be able to visit them, it is much more likely that evangelist Evans Ochieng, who has been to Rwanda a few times, will go to Burundi before I ever may. Plus he has a background with the SDA church and can speak on that based on personal experience.

Helping in Haiti

The situation in Haiti is precarious. After praying about it, I decided that the CCOG would send some financial support last Friday. In response to the unanticipated support, Jeremy Nicolas, our leader in Haiti, sent the following email:

Good afternoon Dr Thiel!

… That’s a big surprise, God is certainly working and talk in you. I want to {be} honest — We are in a critical of situation with hunger. All of us. XXXX can’t help us he lost job because they suspended him at that job. You do a big thing for us Dr Thiel, may God bless you and brethren. One thousand Thanks to you all my Brothers and Sisters, I’ll buy some food to share with all of us. …

God bless you abundantly.

Have a great Sabbath.

Jesus said:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:31-40)

Yes, followers of Jesus are to help provide for the hungry.

While we cannot provide assistance to all who request it, the Bible also teaches:

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you. (Proverbs 3:27-28)

We try to assist where we can.

Thank you for your support, which allows us to assist others.

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:

Note: If you have a slow internet connection, you can watch these by starting the video, then below it (and towards the right) look for an outline of a gear–if you click on that, it will allow the YouTube video to be played with lower video quality, but at least it will not stop often–you can select a quality as low as 144p. If your internet connection is still too slow (as my home one is) and/or you prefer audio messages to audio-visuals ones, go to the YouTube link for the message, click on SHOW MORE related to the description. You will then see something that says, “Download MP3.” Below that is a link to an MP3 file. Most computers (and even some mobile telephones) will allow MP3 files to be downloaded and played. This is an option we have made available (but we are also looking into ways to improve that as well)–and, of course, we have written article options. Some people have found that if their internet connections are not fast enough, that they can simply listen to the messages that are found at the Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.

IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO THE BRETHREN’ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel. There are also messages in the Spanish language at the CDLIDDSermones  channel.

In case one or more of our video channels are unavailable, down, restricted, or ?, understand that we are on multiple platforms.

For sermons in English:

ContinuingCOG YouTube channel. Dr. Thiel has produced video sermons for this channel.

Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/

For sermonettes in English:

Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy.

Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/,

Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy

Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp.

Rumble https://rumble.com/c/biblenewsprophecy.

DailyMotion https://www.dailymotion.com/dm_e24c8ac0050c5e7445cd5573711869c6/videos

For animations in English:

CCOG Animations YouTube channel.

Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/

Sermons and sermonettes in Spanish:

CDLIDDSermones channel.

African videos:

CCOGAfricaYouTube channel.

Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/

Audio messages:

Bible News Prophecy radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos on one of our internet stations as well as our radio broadcasts in English. The BibleNewsProphecy.net website also has information about our international radio presence for Europe, Asia, and North America. That page is also available as a mobile app.

Bible News Prophecy International radio. This has links to our non-English language online radio station as well as materials in multiple languages.

There is also additional information at the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.

World News Items

Secular news sources continue to notice problems and concerns of USA dollar dominance, Europe, and gold (see Many consider that the US dollar is ‘Cleanest dirty shirt,’ but . . .  and Gold Reserves up in Europe, but not the United States). While the value of gold has risen to record levels in 2025, it can drop in value. That said, for a time after the start of the great tribulation, gold is prophesied to have value (Daniel 11:40-43; cf. Revelation 18), after the USA is gone (cf. Daniel 11:39).

As far as Europe is concerned, the European Union reportedly has had increases in internal unity since US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs and made various statements (see Donald Trump, tariffs, and European Union unity: Unintended consequences continue). While Europe is prophesied to have unity problems (cf. Daniel 2:41-43), it will be united enough to contribute to the end of the United States and its British-descended allies (Daniel 8 and 11:39).

There are two false predictions that some might want to hear about. One was by Martin Armstrong (no known relation to COG Armstrong’s) predicting nuclear war between the USA and Russia several weeks from now (see Martin Armstrong claims 100% chance of a nuclear war; COGwriter: Yes, but not as his software suggests). While there always could be an accidental or limited nuclear engagement between the USA and Russia, no major nuclear attack can occur for years, if that were ever to happen.

For a second false prediction, there is a Jewish rabbi who has claimed that Israel’s ’12-day war with Iran’ was the final prophecy to be fulfilled before the Messiah comes (see Israel’s 12-Day Attacks of Iran and ‘the Final Prophecy’). Well, as Jesus does not come until after the tribulation is over per His words in Matthew 24:29-30, and the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22) cannot start before 2029 (see The Great Tribulation cannot begin before 2029!), there are MANY prophecies that must be fulfilled before Jesus returns.

We all need to heed biblical prophecies and not predictions that do not align with properly interpreted ones.

Concluding Comments

Jesus said the following:

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

While the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6), it is later than most think.

Remember to watch and pray so you may be accounted worthy to escape the hour of trial (Revelation 3:7-10) and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer